Alsace–Lorraine

Alsace–Lorraine (German: Elsaß–Lothringen), officially the Imperial Territory of Alsace–Lorraine (German: Reichsland Elsaß–Lothringen), was a territory of the German Empire between 1871 and 1918, comprising most of Alsace and part of Lorraine. Its capital was Strasbourg. It was annexed by the German Empire following its victory in the Franco-Prussian War and formally ceded by France under the Treaty of Frankfurt (1871). French resentment over the loss of the territory was one of the contributing factors to World War I. Following Germany's defeat in that conflict in 1918, Alsace–Lorraine was restored to France; its cession was confirmed under the Treaty of Versailles. Alsace–Lorraine was the only territory of the German Empire administered directly by the imperial government rather than as a constituent state. It gradually acquired representative institutions, culminating in the 1911 constitution, an elected Landtag, and limited internal autonomy. It also elected deputies to the Reichstag, where protest, autonomist, and empire-wide political parties competed for electoral support. Most inhabitants spoke German dialects, while French was spoken mainly in parts of Lorraine. The territory's linguistic, religious and political diversity shaped its public life throughout the German period. During the Second World War, Alsace and Moselle were annexed by Nazi Germany before being restored to France again in 1944–45. Some legal provisions specific to the territory remain in force as the local law in Alsace–Moselle. Since 2016, the area has formed part of the French administrative region of Grand Est.